The chroniclers of fake holidays have decided that August 8 is Happiness Happens Day and I’d like to know if there’s a way to measure this elusive quantity or if it even actually exists. The Declaration of Independence aspires to allow everyone to pursue this emotion, but there are no guarantees. For some, happiness is simply being heard. Charlottesville Community Engagement is an inanimate construct with no feelings, but there is a sense of satisfaction with each completed edition.
On today’s program:
City Manager Sam Sanders names a new deputy for operations and promotes the interim fire chief to the top job
Albemarle wants your input on potential changes to county policy on wireless towers that could make them more prevalent
The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to know your suggestions and thoughts about making mobility safer in two specific areas on the border of Albemarle and Charlottesville
Albemarle County hasn’t found any problems so far in its plans to purchase 462 acres near Rivanna Station
City Manager Sam Sanders announces he’s playing a mediating role as Stony Point Development Group seeks to build a third phase of Dairy Market on Preston Avenue
First shout-out: Friends of JMRL
In today’s first subscriber supported shout-out: Let’s learn a little about a nonprofit group that plays a major role to keep the Jefferson Madison Regional Library going strong.
Friends of JMRL plays an important role in the slightly Byzantine structure of library budgets. Proceeds from the popular book sale go to pay for children’s, teen and adult programs. The five jurisdictions that make up JMRL pay for facilities, salaries, and operational costs. State aid funds the collection acquisitions for all materials, physical, and digital. The federal e-rate program pays for equipment purchases. And Friends of JMRL raise funds for all sorts of activities.
That includes the Library endowment in conjunction with the Charlottesvile Albemarle Community Foundation awards money to special efforts such as the NAACP scholarship as well grants to out-of-area patrons to cover the $30 fee for residents of non-member localities.
Visit jmrlfriends.org to learn more and find out how you can get involved.
Sanders names new Deputy City Manager; Thomas to be permanent fire chief
The empty seat for Deputy City Manager for Operations in Charlottesville did not stay vacant long. City Manager Sam Sanders has appointed Steven Hicks as the replacement for the position he held for two years before getting the top position.
Sanders has also named interim chief Michael Thomas as the permanent head of the Charlottesville Department.
Hicks is a former town administrator of Front Royal who has worked for the city as a Senior Transportation Project Manager for a few months. He’s also been town manager of Selma, North Carolina.
“Steven has over thirty years in position in state and local government including time with [the Virginia Department of Transportation] so he’ll spend a great deal of energy working on all of the many things I used to come and talk to you about, but he’ll have better answers I can tell you that now.”
Hicks starts work in the new position tomorrow. Since working for the city, Sanders has worked to get transportation projects moving.
Some articles:
Michael Thomas has been serving as interim fire chief since last October following the resignation of Hezedean Smith. Thomas had been with the Lynchburg Fire Department before starting work in Charlottesville as a deputy chief for risk reduction in June 2022.
“He’s been a stabilizing force for the department and I did ask the Chief if he would say a few words,” Sanders said.
“I’m humbled and excited about the opportunity to continue to lead the Charlottesville Fire Department as the fire chief,” said Chief Thomas. “I’ve learned a lot over the last ten months in the interim role and I’m committed to the community and equally committed to the department members.”
Albemarle seeking input on proposed changes to cell tower policy
The county has hired CityScape consultants to review these rules to see how they might be amended to allow for construction of more towers to provide greater coverage and reliability. Potential ideas include allowing more height at some locations and downplaying the role visibility plays in site approval.
In June, the Albemarle County Planning Commission reviewed the work to date at a work session. (read my story)
Now the county is seeking public input in a survey that runs through August 25.
“We want to know what concerns you face with wireless internet connections and cell phone service, as well as your feedback on potential changes to current cell tower regulations,” reads the Engage Albemarle website.
The website has links to the materials that have been made available so far including the presentations from the June work session.
Your feedback sought for two “pipeline” studies for future transportation projects
There is a lot of growth happening across the entire region and there is endless planning work intended to inform the next set of projects to build infrastructure to handle all of the traffic. At any given point, the Virginia Department of Transportation has multiple studies underway to come up with the next of candidate projects for funding. Many of these are now visible through the agency’s “Project Pipeline” website including two that affect Albemarle and Charlottesville.
The first pipeline study is for Barracks Road between Georgetown Road and U.S. 29.
“This study will focus on improving roadway safety and enhancing multimodal accessibility and connectivity for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users,” reads the project page.
The second pipeline study covers Ivy Road and Old Ivy corridor as well as the interchange with U.S. 29. Earlier this year, Albemarle Supervisors approved a rezoning for 525 units on undeveloped land on Old Ivy Road. Many nearby residents had argued existing conditions are bad enough and more people would mean more possibilities that people would get hurt.
Shortly before that rezoning on March 1, VDOT had presented conceptual plans with several ways to reconfigure some of the various intersections but these were met with opposition. (view the January 11, 2023 presentation)
“VDOT greatly appreciates the recent engagement with the community on the possible transportation solutions in the Ivy Road and Old Ivy Road corridors and recognizes that recent transportation studies in this area gathered significant public input,” reads the project page for the Old Ivy project.
The two surveys will close on August 18.
Second shoutout: August 10 webinar on Safe Routes to School
In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out: On August 10, Livable Cville and Charlottesville United for Public Education are co-hosting a webinar on a very important topic as the school year looms. The event will feature Ben Chambers, Transportation Planner for the city of Charlottesville, and Amanda Korman, Community Relations Liaison for Charlottesville City Schools.
This webinar will provide Charlottesville City Schools families and staff with information about transportation as the new school year begins. There will be a Q&A at the end. Sign up today for this free event!
Due diligence finds no major obstacles so far to Albemare’s purchase of 462 acres near Rivanna Station
Albemarle County continues to conduct a full review of what further actions may need to be taken if a planned $58 million purchase of 462 acres near Rivanna Station goes through. On May 24, the Board of Supervisors authorized the acquisition pending due diligence.
“We’re assessing the the in-the-ground infrastructure, we’re assessing environmental, we’re assessing leases, title reports, and infrastructure that is out of the ground and so far, so good,” said Deputy County Executive Trevor Henry at an update given at the August 2 meeting of the Board.
Henry said the county is in “pretty good shape” as it determines if the land will allow enough buildable space to pursue what they’re calling the “Intelligence Community Innovation Acceleration Campus.”
The firm Line and Grade is conducting much of the work for Albemarle County and they’ve completed such tasks as mapping soils and drainage areas, seeing if there are any threatened or endangered species, and coming up with a conceptual road layout.
“One thing that is of particular significance from a cultural standpoint is that there is an existing cemetery, the Pritchett cemetery there,” said Blake Abplanalp, Albemarle’s Chief of Facilities Planning and Construction. “That was studied by our archaeological consultant who happened to be the same firm that did the work over at the courts. They are recommending that we maintain as best we can a 50 foot buffer between any kind of development and this cemetery.”
Albemarle County as the owner of the cemetery would also have to provide access to that land to any family members who wanted to visit. There are two earthen dams on the property that the county would also own and need to be maintained and potentially upgraded.
“From an engineering due diligence standpoint, in all of the things that we’ve been examining, the risks associated with liabilities on this property are very low,” Abplanalp said.
There is also one rental home on the property.
The next update to Supervisors will be on September 6 including more details on how Albemarle will pay for the land.
“At that point in time we will bring forward bond resolutions that we will ask the Board to take action on and that really starts the formal process to issuing the bond anticipation notes,” said Jacob Sumner, the county’s acting finance director.
Those notes will be issued by the Albemarle Economic Development Authority and that will be at their September 19 meeting.
Albemarle to purchase 462 acres of land on U.S. 29 to enable possible expansion of Rivanna Station, May 25, 2023
Public hearing tomorrow night for Albemarle purchase of 462 acres, June 20, 2023
Sanders weighs in on Dairy Market Phase 3
The firm Stony Point Development Group is rethinking their plans to proceed with a land use application for the third phase of their Dairy Market development. I reported the basic details in the July 12 edition of this newsletter and followed up in a C-Ville Weekly article the following week.
Stony Point Development group held a community meeting held on July 27 that reportedly got a little contentious.
Planning for people: 10th and Page residents are concerned about proposed Dairy Market expansion,Catie Ratliff, C-Ville Weekly, August 2, 2023
Pushback over expansion sends Dairy Market developer back to drawing board, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), August 3, 2023
City Manager Sam Sanders brought up the topic at the beginning of last night’s City Council meeting.
“Matters of the community are important matters to me and I as watched the meeting I became alarmed so I share that with you all that are here to speak on this particular matter,” Sanders said. “There were a number of things that did not sit well with me as well.”
Sanders said he has met with Chris Henry of Stony Point Development Group to share his concerns not only about what was presented but how it was presented.
“So I did share with him that I would definitely like to continue a conversation with him as he has indicated he would continue to engage with the residents,” Sanders said. “I look forward to hearing that the residents are feeling that that line of communication remains open. And as he decides to move forward on his project, I stress to him that I do believe it is important for a community benefits agreement to be considered.”
Such community benefits agreements could be more common and are worth learning about in the future. There’s something similar in the works for Woodard Properties’ redevelopment of 501 Cherry Avenue.
Several members of the public spoke about Dairy Market at Council’s meeting last night including Gloria Beard of Page Street.
“I want to know why all of these contractors are allowed to come into Charlottesville to build these high rise apartments and houses that cost an arm and a leg,” Beard said. “The one I am most concerned with is the Dairy Market.”
Beard accused Stony Point Development Group of making false claims to the neighborhood about setting some units as affordable when the special use permit for the first phase went through the process in 2018.
“Well he set aside four, and an efficiency is $1,200 and they don’t accept vouchers,” Beard said.
Under the proposed zoning code, what Stony Point Development Group wants to could be done by right but would fall under inclusionary zoning rules that would require ten percent of units to be affordable as defined by the city.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is headquartered nearby in the same intersection and one of their representatives also spoke out against Dairy Market’s third phase.
“In the early 2000’s, the Legal Aid Justice Center went and looked for a home with explicit intention to be embedded in the community that we serve and to be accessible to low-income clients,” said Elaine Poon, deputy director of advocacy. “First we fled West Main Street and then we fled the Downtown Mall to escape the rapid influx of expensive shops and restaurants could not afford.”
Poon said the current location is perfect for Legal Aid Justice Center but that Dairy Market’s renovation has accelerated displacement.
“We are now renting from a church down the street so that we can make sure that our clients have parking when they come for their appointments,” Poon said. “There are virtually no affordable lunch options for our staff within walking distance and this expansion will make things worse.”
Meanwhile, properties in the 10th and Page neighborhood continue to trade at high levels fueling concerns of displacement. These can be observed in my anecdotal property transaction summaries.
Here’s a preview of one from June that’s not yet written. A two bedroom house in the 900 block sold on June 27 for $515,000. That’s 56.16 percent over the 2023 assessment of $329,800. The previous sale had been on October 1, 2012 when a couple bought it for $108,000.
More on Dairy Market and the zoning code in future editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement.
Reading material:
Messy Bon Secours-Anthem dispute threatens to disrupt care for thousands of Virginians on Medicare, Sarah Vogelsong, Virginia Mercury, August 4, 2023
Burley graduates of 1960 revel, reminisce and relive youth, Faith Redd, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), August 7, 2023
Virginia Tech-led researchers to study large solar farms’ impact on soil and water, Matt Busse, Cardinal News, August 8, 2023
End notes for #563
And now I am back in Charlottesville for an extended stay with one eye toward a return to just outside Philadelphia where my parents now reside. Each of us has lives affected by decisions made by our family. I chose to dedicate my work to this community and that will continue regardless of how much I spend here. There’s a lot happening and my mission is write what I can when I can.
Paid subscribers of this newsletter help keep me on task and mission. The best way to do that is through Substack where your $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year really goes a long way to keeping me in business and thinking about expansion.
The Internet company Ting will match your initial payment! And maybe you’re a UVA student looking for fast Internet. If you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you’ll get:
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A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
Wraki has a new track which is not in this episode of the podcast, but it will be soon.
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